Hold Your Breath, Make a Wish, Count to Three
by slightlysmall
Summary: Drabbles about each Weasley. 1. Ginny 2. Ron 3. Charlie 4. Hugo 5. Victoire 6. Percy 7. Arthur 8. Dominique 9. Roxanne 10. Fredi 11. George 12. Rose 13. Mollyii 14. Mollyi 15. Audrey 16. Bill 17. Fleur 18. Hermione 19. Angelina 20. Lily Luna 21. Louis 22. Fredii 23. Jamesii 24. Albusii 25. Lucy 26. Harry 27. The whole family.
1. Ginny - Dandelions

Ginny Weasley held her mother's hand as they left King's Cross station. With Ron gone, now it would just be the two of them, all day long, all year. Barely ten, she wanted to be at Hogwarts too, with her brothers, and not sneaking rides on broomsticks and trying to pay attention to the lessons her mother taught. This was especially true when she saw the boy with the lightning-shaped scar getting onto the train as well.

In the cracks of the pavement, she noticed a cluster of dandelions. She dropped her mother's hand and ran forward to them, kneeling down beside them. "Ginevra!" her mother cried, "You're too close to the street! Be careful!"

Dutifully, she stood up, plucking one of the flowers. She closed her eyes, drew in a large breath, and made a wish she would never admit to making. Then she blew as hard as she could, watching the seeds scatter in the wind. _I wish I may, I wish I might..._

Her mother caught up to her and took her hand, warning her to stay close. Ginny nodded and the dandelion stem fell, forgotten, onto the sidewalk.

**A/N: For the Drabble Collection Challenge. Prompt: cluster. I'm not JKR and don't own the characters. Word Count: 192.**


	2. Ron - Chessmen

"Really, Hermione, it's enough that we have to write the essay. I don't see why we have to talk about it afterward, too," Ron said, setting up his chess set.

"Well, I'm just a little nervous about my third paragraph..."

"We all know you'll do brilliantly." Ron rolled his eyes. Sometimes he just wished he could be the best at something. Eyeing the chessman he was setting up, however, he had an idea. "Sit down and relax some, Hermione. Ever played chess?"

She looked down at her feet. "Well, I've played some, but I don't think I'm very good at it."

"No matter. It's just a game, anyway." She cautiously sat by the white chess pieces she'd borrowed from Percy and took her first move. Ron quickly countered her and the game was over in less than ten minutes.

Hermione slumped off to a corner to read and Ron looked out the window at the pouring rain. He felt a little bad for not taking it easy on Hermione for the first game she'd played with them. Harry came down to sit by him. "Don't worry about it," Harry said. "Losing is probably doing her some good."****

A/N: For the Drabble Collection Challenge. Prompt: chessman. I'm not JKR and don't own the characters. Word Count: 197.


	3. Charlie - Color of Dragon's Fire

Charlie Weasley sat nervously in the changing room for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, tugging at his scarlet robes. He was the only second year on the team and was having a hard time fitting in with the older, more experienced players. It was a good thing his job on the field didn't require teamwork.

The captain gave a speech about not losing by as much as they had at their final match the year before. It didn't help Charlie much. But as he got onto the field and kicked into the air, he forgot there was a game going on below him. His eyes were scanning the field for a tiny ball the color of dragon's fire.

Suddenly, he saw it hovering inches from the ground near the Ravenclaw goal posts, and he dove, doing his best to seem nonchalant so the fifth year Ravenclaw Seeker wouldn't follow him. On his way through the main action, a Bludger hit him soundly on his shoulder. Knowing he would be immensely sore the next day, he ignored the pain and chased the Snitch. It was within reach; he caught it easily. Fifteen minutes after kicking up into the air, he was on the shoulders of his teammates and the stands were shouting his name. The sore spot on his shoulder was a small price to pay.  
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A/N: For the Drabble Collection Challenge. Prompt: sore. I'm not JKR and don't own the characters. Word Count: 224.**


	4. Hugo - Leaves

"Dad, do I have to? Why can't you make Rose do it this time?"

"Because Rose is helping your mother with the dishes. Now go rake the leaves," Ron said sternly.

Hugo stomped outside and grabbed the rake from the side of the house. Home for fall break, his father wasted no time putting him to work. Hugo couldn't wait for the next three years, four months, and six days to end. He wanted to be seventeen and do magic. Surely his father could have just come out here and magicked the leaves into a nice pile. What did it matter that they lived in a Muggle neighborhood? No one was out anyway, and even if they were, that's what Memory Modification Charms were for.

As he finished raking the leaves into a pile, Rose came outside, her fingers pruned from the dishes. "Mum made you wash by hand?"

"Of course, you prat! I'm underage!"

"Yeah, well, she seems to favor you," Hugo said dejectedly.

"Oh yeah? Wanna bet?"

"Fine! Three chocolate frogs."

"Deal," Rose said, and stuck out her hand. The moment their handshake ended, she ran straight toward the pile and jumped in, scattering leaves all over the yard.

"Rose Weasley! Your brother worked hard out here! How dare you do that? You'd better clean it up!"

She got out of the pile, smiling, leaves stuck in her bushy hair. Walking over to Hugo, she took the rake and said, "I told you so."****

A/N: This one was hard to keep under 250 words... I love Rose/Hugo sib-fics. For the Drabble Collection Challenge. Prompt: rake. I'm not JKR and don't own the characters. Word Count: 246.


	5. Victoire - Aller au Ballet

Victoire took life very seriously. She was serious about studying, serious about friends, extremely serious about making sure Teddy paid her attention. But Victoire was probably most serious in her attempts to learn French and get along well with her _grands-parents_.

"_Veux-tu allez au ballet?_" Her _grand-mère_ asked one day when she was in France.

"_Bien sûr, grand-mère!_" Of course she wanted to go to the ballet while she was in Paris. It seemed like perfection. That evening, she put on her finest dress and cloak and joined her grandparents in the front row of the theatre.

As the curtain came up and the dancing started, Victoire's attention was captivated not by the dancers on the stage - though she found them beautiful - but by the music. Just below her in the orchestra pit she could see all the instruments, but none of them fascinated her like a single instrument on the far left. Her attention left the dancers completely as she watched a young woman play the harp.****

A/N: For the Drabble Collection Challenge. Prompt: harp. I'm not JKR and don't own the characters. Word Count: 170.


	6. Percy - The Prefect

As Percy stood at the end of a long, narrow corridor at Hogwarts, he threw his shoulders back and straightened his Prefect badge on his robes. It was his first night of Prefect duty and he was determined to be even better at the job than his brothers before him.

However, there was just one problem.

His partner for the evening, Penelope Clearwater, was probably the most beautiful girl in his class. More than four years and she had never even talked to him; the prospect of spending the next several hours with her was daunting. While he normally felt self-assured, he was reduced to stammering.

"Shall we?" Penelope said, as if there were nothing important about the moment.

"Of- of course," he replied, and started to walk by her side down the hallway.

**A/N: For the Drabble Collection Challenge. Prompt: narrow. I'm not JKR and don't own the characters. Word Count: 134.**


	7. Arthur - Aeroplanes and Eckeltricity

Arthur sat in the Gryffindor Common Room, scribbling away on a parchment. Molly Prewett, his girlfriend, looked over his shoulder in bewilderment. "Arthur, what are you working on?"

Without looking up, he replied, "An essay for Muggle Studies. We're supposed to be writing about what we think is the most innovative thing Muggles have invented. I had such a hard time choosing between eckeltricity and aeroplanes that I'm writing about both."

"I just don't understand what it is about those things that fascinates you so much." Molly quickly shut her mouth, realizing too late that she had said the wrong thing.

Arthur was now going on about both topics loudly and animatedly. He kept talking for nearly five minutes straight and though Molly was doing her best to listen, she found herself watching their classmates, who were making Arthur the subject of their silent ridicule. Her heart broke for all the negative attention he received, but she didn't know what she could do about it. Muggles were his passion; how could she inform him the way other people looked at him because of it? "- just want to know how aeroplanes stay up," he concluded.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out one day, dear," Molly said, kissing his cheek as he returned to writing his essay.

**A/N: For the Drabble Collection Challenge. Prompt: ridicule. I'm not JKR and don't own the characters. Word Count: 216.**


	8. Dominique - A Little Immodesty

The morning of September first, Dominique Weasley donned her favorite Muggle outfit and joined her family downstairs in Shell Cottage. Victoire was long gone, engaged to Teddy now, but because Louis was still underage, they had arranged for a Portkey to take them to London.

Dominique's straight blonde hair was cut short and she wore a tight shirt with a mini skirt and leggings. When her mother say her, she exclaimed, "Modesty, Dominique! Have I taught you nothing?"

"Je suis desolee, maman," Dominique replied, because her mother always went easier on her when she spoke in French. "I promise to change the minute I get on the train."

Her fingers were crossed.

She had had her eye on Liam Zabini for the past year, just wishing she could make him hers. This year, she was determined it would happen, and a little immodesty seemed the perfect place to start.

**A/N: For the Drabble Collection Challenge. Prompt: modesty. I'm not JKR and don't own the characters. Word Count: 149.**


	9. Roxanne - The Chaser

"I can't do this," Roxanne said definitively, and turned sharply back toward the locker rooms. Oliver Wood grabbed the hood of her robe, stopping her in her tracks.

"Yes you can. We don't hire on just anyone straight out of Hogwarts, you know. You're the best I'd seen since, well, your mother. And I dare say you're better. Now get out to the field and show me what you can do. Remember, you only have to play your first professional match once. And if it wasn't today..."

Roxanne nodded, took a deep breath, and walked onto the Quidditch pitch. The crowd was far larger than any that had been at Hogwarts. She stood with feigned confidence and waved. Far above her, the commentator was saying, "And the new star Chaser for Puddlemere United, Roxanne Weasley!" She pumped her firsts in the air and couldn't hear another thing he said.

Wimbourne Wasps caught the Snitch, but thanks to the twenty-three goals Roxanne scored or assisted, Puddlemere still won. As far as Chasers were concerned, she still reigned supreme.

**A/N: For the Drabble Collection Challenge. Prompt: supreme. I'm not JKR and don't own the characters. Word Count: 177.**


	10. Fred - Joy

Fred and George sat at the table in their flat, piles of papers spread out around them. "There's just no way we can do this alone anymore," George was saying. "We're going to have to hire an extra hand."

"Can we afford to pay her?"

"Definitely. Now that we have our new line of defensive products, I expect our numbers will go up at least 50 percent."

"Okay. Do you have anyone in mind?"

As George droned on about some girl named Verity that he believed would be perfect for the job, Fred's eyes ran over the spreadsheets and graphs in front of him. They weren't just numbers and diagrams - he could see the spike in sales from when they added Pygmy Puffs, and it seemed that the recent panic the Ministry was spreading would only help their numbers more.

Sometimes it was difficult, walking down Diagon Alley, seeing the boards over Ollivander's and Florean Fortescue's, but when he stopped in front of his own store, saw their sign, their window displays, he saw the manifestation of wishes come true. And despite everything terrible going on all around them, all he could feel was joy.

**A/N: For the Drabble Collection Challenge. Prompt: joy. I'm not JKR and don't own the characters. Word Count: 196.**


	11. George - Sorrow

Business was booming. In the aftermath of the war, everyone seemed to turn to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes to laugh again, to dull the pain of life without those they lost. It didn't work for George.

Everything around him was Fred. Fred's ideas, Fred's magic, Fred's signature - they were on everything he sold. Even some of his post-war products had been Fred's idea. George never looked in the mirror. He rarely smiled.

Verity tried to comfort him, take him out, hold his hand, but it felt like pity and pity was the last thing he wanted.

Everyone had lost someone they loved. But George had lost his twin.

Sometimes it was difficult, walking down Diagon Alley, seeing all the new stores flourishing. But when he stopped in front of his own store, saw their sign, their window displays, all he could do was wish that Fred was still there to share it with him. And despite everything wonderful springing up that autumn, he couldn't bring himself to feel anything but sorrow.

**A/N: For the Drabble Collection Challenge. Prompt: sorrow. I'm not JKR and don't own the characters. Word Count: 171.**


	12. Rose - Anticipation

Once again, Scorpius and Rose were visiting Malfoy Manor. Most days, Rose didn't mind their frequent outings to her in-laws, but today was different. Today, Rose Malfoy wanted nothing more than to be with her parents, or her grandparents, but Scorpius pointed out they would be there for weeks to come. Rose agreed hesitatingly, but Astoria couldn't have been kinder. While Scorpius and Draco acted as if they were alone, Astoria turned to her daughter-in-law.

"Are you in much pain?"

"Yes; I think we're really getting close now." As she spoke, she winced. Once again, she felt her stomach muscles contracting. Suddenly, she felt a release and her legs were wet. "Oh no, Mrs. Malfoy, it's time."

"Scorpius!"

"What, Mum?" he called across the room, sounding annoyed.

"Your wife is about to have your child. You better do something about it!"

He nodded and Disapparated, appearing again with Ron and Hermione beside him. Soon he sat holding her hand at St. Mungo's, the baby still waiting. He leaned over to kiss her. "How do you feel?"

"Terrible, but it's the anticipation more than the pain."

Five hours later as she looked at the strawberry blonde hair of her daughter, Rose couldn't help but think that nine months of anticipation and a frustrating day had been worth it just to see her.

**A/N: For the Drabble Collection Challenge. Prompt: anticipation. I'm not JKR and don't own the characters. Word Count: 221.**


	13. Mollyii - Breakups and Breakdowns

Today, Molly Weasley missed Lysander Scamander more than she might have missed breathing. It was absolutely no matter to her at all that yesterday she couldn't stand the bloke and wished he could go die in a hole. It mattered even less that she had said this to his face - the very first time she had seen his face at all since their breakup.

She remembered the way she saw him sauntering into Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, his arm around the shoulder of Kaelyn Finnigan. She remembered the way that his face turned soft and apologetic while she yelled at him in the middle of Diagon Alley, and how he pulled her aside to give her a hug and tell her he really was an idiot, and he was sorry.

In fact, that was precisely the reason why she missed him so much today. She sighed and opened her second box of cream crackers. One day, she promised herself, one day she would be able to move on.

**A/N: For the Drabble Collection Challenge. Prompt: crackers. I'm not JKR and don't own the characters. Word Count: 168.**


	14. Mollyi - The Garden

The sprawling backyard of the Burrow spread out beyond the simple garden gate. Charles was sleeping soundly in her arms while William cautiously played in the dirt. Molly wished she had more toys to give him, but it was impossible on Arthur's meager salary. They never intended to have children so soon. But now as she watched her oldest's intense concentration, and thought about the energy Charles had already, though he wasn't yet one, she wouldn't trade them for anything.

But the Burrow could still use some work. Molly wasn't happy there, with the precarious craftsmanship, hurriedly built before she gave birth. There wasn't much she could do about the inside, but the outside, surely she could make that her own. She wandered through her simple garden, staring at the walls that separated it from the rest of their lawn. "Perhaps some roses here, an espalier along that wall," she said to herself. "A path to lead from here to the gate." For the first time, Molly found herself smiling as she thought about the Burrow, and wished Arthur would get home soon to mind the children so she could start to work.****

A/N: For the Drabble Collection Challenge. Prompt: espalier. I'm not JKR and don't own the characters. Word Count: 193.


	15. Audrey - Marrying into Magic

Surprisingly, the wedding had gone off without a hitch. Audrey wasn't sure what she was getting into, marrying a wizard (she had fainted when she learned his heritage), but she couldn't be happier she did. Put simply, her wedding was magical. She loved the bustle of her in-laws, the ease with which they moved objects, or conjured them, and she couldn't believe she was marrying into such a wonderful world.

After the wedding, however, was different. Crisp autumn air outside, and Audrey was hanging the drapes in their new flat. It was hard work alone, while Percy worked on a paper for the Ministry. "Perce? Could you come here a minute please?"

"What is it?"

"It's just that I can't get these drapes to hang properly. I could use some help."

"Magic can't fix everything, you know, Audrey," he said, and began to turn around to leave.

"Yes, I know. I was just looking for some old-fashioned help. For you to call out if they're straight, or hold them while I drill, or something. The kind of work I expected a husband to do."

Percy turned back toward her and hung his head. "Sorry - I didn't think-"

Audrey smiled. "No, you didn't. But what do you think? Are they straight?"

"Not at all. It's perfect."

"Are you sure? I know you like things-"

"I'm sure," he said, and pulled her in for a kiss.  
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A/N: For the Drabble Collection Challenge. Prompt: drape. I'm not JKR and don't own the characters. Word Count: 235.**


	16. Bill - Enchante

"Eet is okay, Bill. I know zat my parents will love you. After all, I love you, yes? Zat should be enough for zem!"

Bill opened his mouth in protest, but there was nothing to say. It was probably wise to meet his future in-laws _before _the wedding.

"Are you ready, _mon cheri_?"

"No," he said half-heartedly.

"Okay. We will leave," Fleur said, grabbing his hand.

When the squeezing of Apparation ended, he found himself on a sprawling country lawn. "You used to live here?"

"No, zis house is new. We had a smaller _maison _in Lyon. I zink I liked the old one better."

They crossed the grass holding hands, and Fleur opened the large door. The entryway rivaled Gringotts in splendor. A curved double staircase was across the hall, but it was the chandelier that caught his attention. It was oversized, crystal, and seemed to sparkle with the light from the windows. "Wow."

"Eet is beautiful, but a bit.. _voyant_, I zink."

"Are you sure they will let you marry a crazy English bloke?"

"You are not crazy, Bill. And zey will love you! I already said so."

Just then, Fleur's parents walked into the room. "_Maman, papa, je voudrais vous présenter à mon fiancé_."

"_Enchanté_," Bill said, as her mother leaned in to kiss both his cheeks.

**A/N: For the Drabble Collection Challenge. Prompt: chandelier. I'm not JKR and don't own the characters. Word Count: 220. Sorry my drabbles have involved a lot of French...**


	17. Fleur - Silk

In her heart, she wished for a boy. As much as Fleur loved her daughters, when she found out she was expecting a third, she started calling it "Louis" almost immediately. But she couldn't remember a boy being born to a Veela. Would one-eighth Veela be enough to break the cycle? Fleur hoped so more than anything.

But when Bill asked her if she wanted a girl or a boy, she would simply say, "Another child eez a happy moment. Why would I be sad for a girl or a boy?"

Bill smiled and kissed her forehead and told her he loved her and she was beautiful. When Victoire came running in, shouting, "Daddy! Daddy! Dominique is playing with my toys," Bill chuckled and followed their four-year-old out of the room, looking back at his wife with amusement.

That afternoon, Fleur went to Madam Malkin's in Diagon Alley. "Here for some robes, Mrs. Weasley?" the elderly woman asked as she entered.

"Not today. I was 'oping you had some silk. I would like to make a baby blanket myself, I zink."

"Certainly. Right this way." Madam Malkin held up a variety of silks in every color imaginable, some patterned, some plain, but Fleur's eye was drawn to one in particular.

"Zis one, please," she said, taking hold of the ream.

"Ah, you are having a boy?"

Fleur smiled, a little embarrassed. "I don't know yet, but zat is my wish."

**A/N: For the Drabble Collection Challenge. Prompt: silk. I'm not JKR and don't own the characters. Word Count: 240.**


	18. Hermione - Nostalgia

"Come on. We haven't had a day away from Rose since she was born. Don't you think we need time for us?"

"Sure, but it's bloody freezing; why do you want to go to the lake?"

Hermione sighed, trying not to let her impatience show. "It's romantic. Secluded, tree-lined. I think you'll like it."

"Are you sure Rose will be okay?"

"You aren't honestly worried about your mum's ability to care for a child?"

Ron's guilty look said enough. Hermione took his hand and they Apparated to the shore of a lake. There was a rowboat waiting, and Hermione beckoned for her husband to follow her. He hesitated as they climbed in, Hermione leaving Ron to sit by the paddles. "You don't expect me to row this, do you? I have no idea how."

"Are you a wizard or what?" Hermione teasingly responded as she pulled out her wand and charmed the paddles to move on their own. "Now come and sit with me; the boat won't tip, I promise." She smiled as Ron made her way toward her. She leaned into him and he wrapped his arm around her. The changing leaves were beautiful, but sort of sad.

So many things change with a baby. Part of her wished they had more time, just the two of them, before having children. But she knew one day she would look back and realize the moment she missed most was here on the lake, before her Rosie had grown up.

**A/N: For the Drabble Collection Challenge. Prompt: rowboat. I'm not JKR and don't own the characters. Word Count: 249.**


	19. Angelina - Punishments & Birthday Cakes

Angelina couldn't believe George would work on her birthday. Sure, their flat was right above the shop, and twenty-eight wasn't particularly important, but it was still her birthday and she was spending it minding a toddler and a baby who had recently discovered the thrills of crawling. Growing older was exhausting.

"Roxanne, you can't do that! Go sit in the corner," Angelina said sternly, after finding her daughter pushing Fred's toys off of his chair.

"But Freddie is annoying. He wouldn't play with me. So I took his toys away." She crossed her arms and pouted, and Angelina had to hold back a smile.

She hated to penalize her daughter over something so small, but she had been reading up on magical parenting techniques. Consistency, they read. Discipline is all about consistency. So there Roxanne sat, for four long minutes.

The day went by slowly, Roxy acting out for much of it, still annoyed over her morning punishment. So when she saw George poke his head around the corner late that evening, she couldn't be happier. Until Verity followed him in.

"George? What is she doing here?"

"I love you, too."

"I love you. Why is she here?" Angelina asked, irritated.

"To mind the children. It's your birthday! Change your clothes, we're going out!"

Angelina grinned. "You remembered?"

"Of course I did."

When she was ready, they Apparated to a bakery. Inside was a cake lit with twenty-eight candles. "Now make a wish, love."

She closed her eyes and blew.

**A/N: For the Drabble Collection Challenge. Prompt: penalize. I'm not JKR and don't own the characters. Word Count: 250.**


	20. Lily Luna - Enemies

Lily Luna's parents had tried to pass down their enemies. They were all taught from a young age whom they were supposed to hate - the two rowdy Zabini boys, the ugly Goyle girl, and no one more than Scorpius Malfoy. But Lily was never really good at doing what her parents expected her to do.

Lily had never been one to fade into the background. She spent her twenties cohabiting with Gino Zabini, and she had cultivated a few enemies of her own back at Hogwarts. The enmity never disappeared.

As a Potter, having enemies was expected. But having an enemy called Abernethy Finnigan was not.

Tonight she was drunk in the Leaky Cauldron, when Abernethy sat down beside her. "What are you doing here? Bugger off."

"I'm here for a drink, same as you. We all have something to forget, you know."

"Go forget it somewhere else."

He wouldn't. Her wand came out. She shattered half the pints on the bar before Hannah could grab hold of her. "I'm calling your parents, Lily. This is unacceptable."

"I'm twenty-nine! Call Gino for Merlin's sake - not my parents. Haven't seen 'em in months, anyway."

Hannah shrugged, put a Body-Bind Curse on her, and with _Wingardium Leviosa_she was sent up the stairs. Hannah followed and tucked her into a bed, a look of pity on her face. Sleeping draught brought to Lily's lips, and she wished, she wished - but fell asleep before the wish had fully formed.

**A/N: For the Drabble Collection Challenge. Prompt: enmity. I'm not JKR and don't own the characters. Word Count: 249.**


	21. Louis - Being an Uncle

Louis leaned onto the island of Scorpius and Rose's kitchen, panting; it took him a moment to catch his breath and Summon a glass of water. As he regained his composure, Rose stood across from him, laughing.

"What?"

"Courtney get the best of you? That's the last time I ask _you_ to mind the children for an afternoon. And I thought you'd be up for it."

He sighed, narrowing his eyes but smiling as he did so. "Your children are demons. Absolute monsters. I swear it Rosie..."

"It's the Malfoy in them. I mean, look at Courtney. Two years old and I swear she has Draco's nose. And Scorpius's love of mischief. Unless she gets that from my dad, of course."

"I suppose you never can tell with this crazy family. So glad Lorcan and I don't plan on adopting any of our own." He really was grateful that Lorcan had agreed. It had been a hard subject to broach at first, but Lysander and Kaylyn already had two of their own, and what with Louis's extended family, they decided there were plenty of Scamanders and Weasleys in the world and set themselves up to be the best uncles they could be. But this was Louis's first attempt at three of them all alone. Even with the older boys helping, Courtney was too much for him. Yes, being an uncle - and only an uncle - would suit him just fine.

A/N: For the Drabble Collection Challenge. Prompt: panting. I'm not JKR and don't own the characters. Word Count: 241.


	22. Fredii - What Growing Up is Really Like

Thirty-one felt old. Too old to be a newlywed, with a wife pregnant more months than they had been married. He hadn't felt old at twenty-nine, although he vaguely remembered his father's nostalgic look on his twenty-first birthday - that look had made him feel old, just for a moment, but the ten years in between had been an eternity just long enough to realize how old he wasn't yet.

His cousin Rose had married at twenty, had her first child eleven months later. Respectful. Mature. He never understood it. "It doesn't matter when you get married or have children," she once told him. "You aren't really an adult until you have a child to care for." They had never been the closest of friends (he had always been closer to Albus), but Fred could hear the "I grew up too soon" she hadn't said.

So here he was, thirty-one years old, and still two months away from having his childhood nipped from him. But Grace Macmillan - Grace _Weasley_, he reminded himself - she was worth everything to him. Raising a family with her, the idea of seeing a child with maybe his eyes and her smile - it was enough that he wouldn't wish for his childhood back even if he could.

(When their son was born with _her_ eyes and his smile, he knew that his own life started when his son started breathing and, by comparison, nothing before that moment felt like living at all.)

A/N: For the Drabble Collection Challenge. Prompt: nip. I'm not JKR and don't own the characters. Word Count: 249.


	23. Jamesii - Imperial

James hated to admit it, but he was nothing like his father. The messy hair, certainly, the same build, the same house at Hogwarts. But from what his father told him, he was far more like his namesake than anyone else. And he refused to grow up and out of it. Even while their cousins married and settled down to have children, James and his siblings seemed unable to get there.

Lily Luna had said it best, one night as they sat drinking in The Leaky Cauldron. "The world expects so much of us. Harry Potter's children. It's like we're supposed to save the world too. And I know _I_ bloody well can't. And I know _you_ bloody well can't. So why should we even try? If I'm going to fail, I'm going to fail magnificently."

He grabbed a drink of his own and agreed. At Hogwarts, he had an almost imperial nature - he was king; he got whatever girl he wanted; he acted like he ruled the school. Because he had. But his classmates had grown up without him, had moved on to create castles and kingdoms of their own. James wished he could be king again - but was there a kingdom so unworthy, so desperate, as to want him?

A/N: For the Drabble Collection Challenge. Prompt: imperial. I'm not JKR and don't own the characters. Word Count: 213.


	24. Albusii - Maybe It Would Be Today

Albus Severus Potter was finally becoming domesticated. That is, he was becoming as domesticated as a bachelor of thirty-three could be: a sparsely furnished flat (despite having all the money he needed), decorated in poor taste, but a place he could bring his girlfriend home to and not feel embarrassed about. He lived alone now, so he lost the camaraderie of having a flatmate, but with it, he gained the peace to live his life however he wanted to.

Today, that meant waking up beside his girlfriend, kissing her forehead, and padding off into the kitchen while she still slept. He put the kettle on and scooped sugar from its canister - two scoops for Stephanie, one for himself. She was a Muggle, and though he'd already told her about his heritage, she made him appreciate doing things manually. Working for them, for once. Her mousy brown hair stuck out in every direction as she came into the kitchen, still in her pyjamas.

He kissed her good morning and set her cup of tea before her, preparing eggs and toast to go with it. Maybe today would be the day he pulled the diamond ring from its box - the ring he'd had ready for three months now - and finally asked her to marry him.

A/N: For the Drabble Collection Challenge. Prompt: canister. I'm not JKR and don't own the characters. Word Count: 216.


	25. Lucy - Something About Dublin

Lucy Weasley chose to live in Ireland. Her father, well into his sixties, was still Minister for Magic. Apparently Britain loved him - loved him in a way she had never managed to do. She didn't want to live under his jurisdiction, didn't want his control over her life. So she graduated Hogwarts and moved to Dublin. And the city grew on her, and the city _became_ her, and she became the city.

She never wanted to leave. There was a revolution happening there, a minor one, a war for the House-Elf that her Aunt Hermione probably started accidentally - some young idealist influenced by her activism, come home to fight. She didn't care - not really - but there was something about being banded together with the people of Dublin, something about a revolution, that made her feel... wishful almost. Like an idealist. She stood there, thirty-four years old among twenty-somethings, and held her signs and shouted at the Irish Ministry, and felt like she belonged.

So when her father called to say that Granddad Arthur was getting sicker, that she should visit, it was with reluctance that she left her much-younger Irish boyfriend to visit her family. When she spoke, it was with an Irish accent, and she told herself, _my family is Dublin. When it comes to family, blood is irrelevant._ She left to go home as soon as she could.

**A/N: For the Drabble Collection Challenge. Prompt: banded. Also loosely inspired by "Witness" by Eavan Boland. I'm not JKR (or Eavan Boland) and don't own the characters (or the poem). Word Count: 234.**


	26. Harry - Awe and Wonder

It didn't matter that two of his children still ran around in the autumn leaves outside. James was off at Hogwarts and suddenly, Harry felt old. His children were growing up; Teddy himself was already starting his seventh year at Hogwarts. Could it really be that Teddy - so enthralled with Victoire now, so studious for his N.E.W.T.s - was already the age that he was when he dropped out of school, spent a year living out of a tent? It left him in awe.

James shouldn't be in school yet. Just yesterday, he was a toddler, learning to talk - slowly learning to be kind to his brother. Just yesterday, he stood up to a bully down the street who was teasing Lily Luna. Now he was Gryffindor and making his own friends and getting detention.

James was his own person now; he refused to make his identity out of being Harry Potter's son. That made Harry proud, certainly. Like his father, he refused to identify with his fame. But it made Harry wonder - who then, would his son become? Throwing off the safety net of fame, but knowing it would engulf him anyway - Harry wished his oldest son would never be ensnared.

**A/N: For the Drabble Collection Challenge. Prompt: wonder. I'm not JKR and don't own the characters. Word Count: 210.**


	27. The Weasleys - The Company We Keep

It was Rose who seemed to be in charge. She was closest to them of their grandkids, and her own children were old enough to not need constant minding. Her parents, aunts, and uncles, all seemed incapacitated by grief. And she couldn't blame them. They sat in the living room of the Burrow, Ginny in her mother's chair, rocking back and forth and staring at the knitting basket. Her brothers were in the room, too, all silent and not even catching each other's eyes.

Both of them - _both_ of them - gone in the night, died in their sleep. Rose found them in the morning. Grandmother and grandfather wrapped in each other's arms. Amongst her mourning family members - all of them were there now - Rose had to smile. She hoped it would be the same with Scorpius, a love that lives to be a hundred.

Molly and Arthur's youngest great-grandchildren ran about the house, loud as always, not sure exactly what was going on. Their grandchildren huddled about, grown apart now that they were in their forties, but welcoming each other's company and recalling memories. "Do you remember that time when..." Lucy said, and seemed a part of the family again.

They talked of autumn days: stomping leaves, racing brooms, crisp air, and wishes. Funeral plans could wait. Rose went to the garden alone and picked a dandelion. _Hold your breath... Make a wish... Count to three._ And the seeds were scattered in the wind.

**A/N: For the Drabble Collection Challenge. Prompt: company. I'm not JKR and don't own the characters. Word Count: 248.**


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